I’ve been meaning to put this activity together for a long time, and finally got around to it…
15 pounds of uncooked rice…$6.42
1 15 Quart plastic box…………5.98
350 plastic beads………………..1.99
Measuring cups…………………..3.99
Measuring spoons……………….2.08
Two happy kids digging through rice making a mess….
Just about worth having to clean the mess up when we’re done. There are two major problems with this activity 1. getting the mess cleaned up when they are done without having them track the rice all over the house – where am I supposed to put the kids while I clean up the mess? 2. When one child starts eating the rice and/or intentionally throwing the rice on the floor, I pretty much have to cut the activity off for both children, which feels awfully unfair.
And, by the way, we used to do an activity similar to this one with dried beans, and I stopped about a year ago when Julie kept putting them up her nose. Please I hope she doesn’t start *that* again.
And now, I must go see what’s up with Sophie, who has apparently coughed herself awake, and then I am going to bed myself. This cold is kicking my butt.
Is there a way to put the plastic box of rice and beads inside a larger tray sort of thing that would contain the mess? I’m not totally clear how it would work, just trying to be helpful.
Why do kids put things up their noses?
It looks like a fun indoor activity. A very good idea.
We did this with beans when my kids were younger. I put them into an empty kiddie pool, then gave them the plastic tub to play with. This usually helped keep the mess confined to a small area. Hope your cold gets better.
I’m sorry, but the first thing I thought of was all those people who are paranoid about buttons on kids items freaking out about choking hazards.
Hi Shelley
I have been meaning to check with you for awhile. Do you sell wholesale to shops? I might be interested. I would really like to feature local independant fiber artists. Let me know.
Dixie Grilley
Yellow Dog Knitting
At my son’s preschool they do this in a big tub using birdseed outdoors. The kids love scooping, and then sweeping up later. And if you miss some the birds will clean it up!
Of course it does get a bit messy. And some birdseed mixes do have larger pieces which could be shoved up the nose (like sunflower seeds). Is Julie allergic to seeds?
Have you ever saved frozen concentrated orange juice can lids? Once you get 25-35 of them they make a wonderful play item for small children. A child’s imagination can turn them into lots of things to play with. Same thing with a package of poker chips.